


The Tulip Writer

by fandom_in_reverse



Category: Original Work
Genre: Author, Diary/Journal, Fiction, Gen, Original Character(s), Original Fiction, References to Depression, Victorian house, Winston Evans, found diary
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-04
Updated: 2020-01-04
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:55:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22108216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fandom_in_reverse/pseuds/fandom_in_reverse
Summary: An author finds a diary in the attic of an old Victorian house he recently purchased. There was no name in the cover, no exact date- just entires wrapped up in worn out leather. The author decides to transfer all of the entries to the internet, dubbing the author the 'Tulip Writer' for the whirring story within the pages.





	1. Preface

I had recently bought a house in northern Indiana and moved in without expecting much fuss. I had looked at several houses in early July and found an old Victorian house that was too beautiful to pass up. It was renovated, with the interior getting a complete redo while the outside got retouching but mostly staying intact- it even had a tower placed on the corner of the upstairs and had a wrap-around porch; the wood paneling was dark and it was topped with a gorgeous bronze metal roof. Call it the poet in me, but this house would’ve been the perfect setting for any gothic horror story. I was completely in love with it and at the end of all of the searching, I laid out all the money for the down payment and bought it without regrets. 

The realtor had shown me everything in the house- the kitchen had checkered linoleum and was a bright yellow, the master bedroom had a cedar footlocker at the foot of the bed, the tower had a couch that wrapped around the window. However, there was one thing the realtor didn’t show me- the attic. I hadn’t asked anything about an attic and I wasn’t looking for the door to one, but I was in the guest bedroom on the second floor to do some light dusting when I noticed an attic door just above the closet door. Out of curiosity, I pulled the door and climbed the small set of stairs.

The attic space was almost cleared out save for a few boxes here and there. I called the realtor and told him of my findings, and he replied that the previous family had moved to Florida; he added that they probably didn’t want the boxes but he would get a hold of the owners as best he could. I took it upon myself -mostly because my curiosity was still high- to look through the new findings to see what was so lackluster. 

One of the boxes was smaller, more like an oversized shoebox than an actual moving box. There was a small porcelain doll dressed in a dirty white dress, dingy old school books, and one book that sat on the bottom wrapped in leather binding. I thumbed through the yellowed pages, seeing nothing more than scribbled handwriting. I reached the first page and read through some of the lines. It was an old diary someone (probably a young girl) had written. There was no date on the book but the look showed many years of sitting and waiting to be read. 

So, I took it upon myself to transcribe the book to the best of my abilities and share it with whoever is interested. I hope that whoever is interested gets as engrossed in the life of the original author as I so. May we find a happy ending for our dear narrator  
-Winston Evans


	2. Entry #1

June 2nd  
Today was Todd’s birthday. Mother had baked him a cake and decorated it with frosting and topped it with blackberries. Todd was very excited to blow out the candles once he saw it. I got him some new marbles- I wrapped them in some old newspaper mother had, tied with some spare ribbon I found from her sewing. 

I saw Lizabeth earlier today as well. She was just coming back from Hodge’s store when I was out getting Todd’s marbles. Lizabeth was getting some eggs and baking powder for her mother’s baking, and when she stopped me to chat, she said that her mother was going to be baking hermit cookies. I asked if her mother could make some extra and I would pay her whenever I could get the money. She then said that I didn’t have to give them anything.

While getting Todd’s marbles, I also got mother some extra flour and sugar. She had used all of the flour for making bread for Mr. Sanders (two loaves) and Mrs. Welch (three loaves). Mr. Sanders gave her one dollar and fifty cents for the bread, and Mrs. Welch gave her some fabric scraps for mother’s quilt making. I saw this really pretty dress in Mrs. Welch’s store window when I passed her store. It was the most beautiful shade of pink and made of satin.

After the cake, Todd played with his marbles all evening. He went to Gus’s and mother told him to be home before dark. He came back just before dusk.  


Mother was in the study after Todd left. She had gotten the mail and stayed in the study for most of the evening and night. I wonder what she had gotten that made her stay in the study.


End file.
